20 October, 2016

Over the
weekend, thousands of protesters across multiple countries condemned
impending trade deals promoted by governments and their corporate
partners. Though the protests received little coverage from
mainstream media, they stretched from Paris to Warsaw.

The
demonstrations came amid the Commission on International Trade of the
European Parliament’s plans to finalize the Comprehensive Economic
and Trade Agreement (CETA) this week. The policy has been likened to
so-called “free trade” deals pushed by President Barack Obama and
other Western governments.

CETA, which
has been in the works for seven years, would eliminate tariffs
between Canada and European nations, which proponents argue would
foster increased trade and create jobs. Nevertheless, the deal has
been criticized for granting too much power to multinational
corporations, the Guardian reports.

Though the
European Commission recently drafted a statement claiming
“environmental and health standards will not be diluted,” not all
policymakers are convinced.

Passage of
CETA hit a roadblock after the parliament of the Wallonia region of
Belgium rejected it. Wallonia’s minister-president, Paul Magnette,
vowed to block the entire country from ratifying the deal. This has
proponents of CETA concerned about the agreement’s future, as all
28 member states of the European Union must unanimously agree on it
before it can be further negotiated and ratified.